I made my first Thanksgiving Day dinner! And made some mistakes,lol.

This year was my first year cokking a real turkey,last year I did a already made one,which is way different as you all know.
Well this year a company donated a turkey to me and my family(which was great)
I got up this morning and my hubby helped me to get it ready,we washed it up and removed,the neck ect. I called my sister because I always thought a bag was supposed to be inside.Yet we didn't find one and she said it's ok just make sure you get everyhitng out.
So we went on with the day,and the box of stuffing(no I don't do homemade) I left on the conter and forgot to make it!
Then we ate and everything else was good,the turkey was great,moist and everything.
After dinner I was cleaning up and my hubby was starting to clean off the turkey,cutting off meat to have for later and he says"Hey look what I just found?"
I turned around and saw the bag! It was by the head of the turkey! Wow I goofed huh? All in all it was a good dinner.
So how was your first dinner?

Our dinner was great too my guest kept saying how good it was. Now you know to look in the neck as well as the other end for the neck and gizzard. I decided that this year we would do the sweet potaoes from freash ones. My grandson was to peel them and cut them up. he ask if we should cook them frist. I thought not. He was right we should have at least parboiled them. I didn't want to use the canned ones as they are sweet enough with out being canned in suger. Any way they were OK except we forgot to put the walnuts in them. They almost didn't get done in time
When it came time for the pumpkin pie we had forgotten to put the cool whip out of the freezer. I did't real lize until just a liitle bit ago. no one missed it though. My granddaughte went to a lot of trouble to make the dinner rolls look like a turkey and I put them in the oven and the bottoms got very dark. Oh well they were eaten any way. Only the cook really knows what mistakes were made. I hope that you will try again. And this wasn't my first time cooking Thanksgiving dinner

lol I think that's a common mistake. My mother did that the first time she made a turkey. I've heard that story many times!
The first time a prepared a turkey (semi) on my own, I knew to look for the bag...
I found one, but it seemed to be missing some things.
I didn't find another.
My mother came over before I stuck it in the oven.
She checked for me. There was a SECOND bag!
I don't remember if the second one was in the neck whole or further up the "other" hole. I think it might have been further up. I just thought it was...I don't know...an interior wall? or something?
lol
I'm glad my mother came over and found it.
I'm glad you had a good dinner despite that "mistake". lol
Take care.

that's funny. oh well, I have been doing thanksgiving for many years and always ...always something gets messed up. it all makes for funny stories and memories next year. We have never had a dinner where something did not get messed up but we have always had a great time and that is what counts right? Happy turkey day!

I cooked my first Thanksgiving dinner when I was 13 years old. Everything from start to finish was made by me. Dinner, dessert... it was fun. Everything went perfectly, but I'd also been helping my mom with Thanksgiving dinner since I was about 5 years old. The only issue that year was that my step-dad had gotten new dentures adn they didn't fit right, so they hurt and he didn't eat much. I thought he didn't like it, because he didn't say anything (and my sisters and I didnt' know he wore dentures until then).

Bravo,I have always went somewhere for dinner at this time of year,but my parents are gone now,and gas was just to high to drive out of states to some of my other family members houses.Happy Thanksgiving.

hahahaha you sound like you did the sort of things I would do, so ling as you enjoyed the day I guess you could say at least you had something to laugh about and will have something to talk about for years to come, I hope you had a wonderful day...